Stray
by PlagueOfPrague
Summary: Takes place 'fore the bathroom scene in 'Seeing Red'. Everyone says Spike follows Buffy around like a lost puppy - Well, thanks to Anya, he's got four paws to follow her around on now. A funny lil dit I did outta boredom. *NOW COMPLETE*
1. Dusting

"Stray"

"So he hasn't been cursed yet?" Hallie asked as she watched Anya dusting away at the shelves of artifacts the Magic Box contained. She drummed her fingers on the table as she awaited her friend's answer.

"No, Hallie, I haven't cursed Xander yet." Anya replied as she lifted up some candles and ran her duster under them.

"Well, why not?"

"Because no one seems to want to wish any harm on him. It's all 'Xander's sorry.' 'Xander didn't mean it.' 'Xander still loves you.' No one cares that he left **me**. I'm the injured party here." She huffed as she slammed the candles back down and scooped up a demon skull to dust beneath it.

"Well, perhaps I could make an exception, you know, curse him myself? All you have to do is make a wish. Maybe we could make him look like Spike, that would be torture. He really dislikes that vampire."

"I don't want you to curse him, Hallie. It just feels.. wrong. I don't know. I mean, I want him to suffer like I did, I want him to hurt. But… I don't. But then again, maybe I should make him like Spike." She snorted as she picked a shiny green orb from it's stand and flitted the duster around underneath it. "I mean, Spike's like a puppy dog when it comes to Buffy. He's loyal, protective, doesn't lie. I mean, he follows her around all the time because he loves her." She set the orb down and looked at Hallie. "Xander never followed me around like that."

"You could always wish that…"

"No, Hallie,,,no. This is something I want you to stay out of. I…I have to go…" She spat as she threw the duster onto the table and stormed out the door. The demon sat there for a moment and then shrugged. With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared from sight.

----------

Spike quietly pulled the door of the Summers kitchen open and stepped into the room, peering around to be sure no one had saw him. Dawn was at Janice's from what he had been told and Willow was at Tara's 'making up'. He shook the thought from his head and shut the door behind him. He poked his head around into the living room to see if the slayer was in there and saw nothing. Shrugging his coat from his shoulders, he threw it over the railing and made his way upstairs. As he approached the hallway he could here the shower running and Buffy walking around.

"Bugger." He muttered, quickening his pace. They needed o talk and he wouldn't get two words in if he walked in on her showering. She'd stake him in a second. He'd just have to grab her before she got in then, wouldn't he? 

He began to make his way down the hallway but suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Something was wrong, he felt funny….

Placing a hand against the wall he steadied himself, his vision fading. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to throw of the strange feeling brewing inside him. It didn't help. He felt himself falling to the ground and his eyes shot back open.

Something was **really** wrong.

He went to climb back to his feet but found he couldn't. Looking down at his hands, he found….paws? A small whimper escaped his throat.

Wait, whimper?

Buffy's eyes shot to the door and she tightened the belt on her robe as her ears picked up on a large thump in the hallway. Her face scrunched up and she peered around the corner and into the darkness. "Hello?" She saw nothing in the darkened hallway and walked down a-ways, flicking on a light switch.

The graceful slayer let out a yelp as she tripped on something and fell to the floor. Rolling quickly onto her back and hopping to her feet, she took up a fighting stance and glared down at **whatever** being had dared enter her home.

Two big blue eyes looked up at her.

A puppy.

TBC

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A/N Short start, yes. I apologize. More should be up tomorrow night. Please review ^_^


	2. Good Boy

A/N: Xander never had his little encounter with Warren, he's just showing up at Buffy's to talk.

----------

"Buffster, you home?" Xander shut the door gently behind him and glanced around. "Hello?" His eyes flitted from the living room to the stairs. "Buffy?" Putting his hand on the banister, he began to walk upstairs, but halted.

His hand ran over something cool.

"Not seeing Spike my ass…." He muttered as he clenched the vampire's jacket in his hand. With a huff, he the threw it to the ground and stormed up the stairs. A tiny stream of light floated into the hallway from underneath Buffy's door. Clenching his fists, Xander pushed the door open forcefully. "Where is he?!"

"Xander?" Buffy asked, surprised. She was sitting on her bed, phone tucked between her shoulder and ear. She gave him a weird look and set the phone back down on the base. "What's wrong?"

"Where is he!?" The infuriated boy demanded once again as he stormed into the room.

"What are you talking about?" Buffy demanded as she stood, holding her arms out to the side.

"You know perfectly well who I'm talking about, Buffy. Where's Spike?"

"Spike? I haven't seen Spike since last night Xander. I recall yo standing right next to me when I saw him too."

"Then why is his coat downstairs?" He demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

She looked at him in disbelief. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Not when I find major parts of Dead Boy's clothing laying around your house." He spat.

"Wait, his coat?" She asked, her anger fading.

"Yeah, I found it down on the banister." He answered, mellowing down a bit himself. 

"Bastard…" The slayer muttered, placing her hands on her hips. He must have been here earlier looking for her.

"You haven't seen him?" Xander asked halfheartedly, feeling a bit guilty.

"No Xander, I haven't…" she answered quietly. "And I don't plan to anytime soon." She added harshly. Her mind was suddenly brought back to the matter she had been attending to when she heard a small whimper come from her bed. 

Spike was laying near the edge of the bed, staring at her with wide eyes, his muzzle hanging over the side of the bed as he wagged his tail. Hey, if he was going to be stuck as a dog, he sure as hell was going to milk it for all it was worth. Plus, it eant cuddles with Buffy.

"Wait…you have a dog?"

"As of ten minutes ago, yes." Buffy replied, smiling as she walked back over to the bed. She sat down and the rather large pup scurried into her lap, wagging his tail happily as she scratched behind his ears. "He was in the hallway… my only guess is he got in through the back door when I was taking garbage out earlier. I tried to call the pound, but there's no one there until morning."

"You gonna keep him?" Xander asked, taking a seat beside her. They seemed to have both forgotten the anger lingering between them, the anger caused by a certain blonde vampire by the name of Spike. 

"No." Buffy said quickly, shaking her head. "I can barely take care of Dawn, let alone a dog." 

Spike stopped wagging his tail and stared at her. He had no idea why he was like this and if he didn't figure it out he'd be shipped off to the pound where they'd…neuter him. Not in the chippy-kinda-way, no no, but really **neuter** him.  Bloody great. His ears drooped and he whimpered pitifully.

"Aww, see Buff, he doesn't wanna leave." Xander pointed out as Buffy scooped the dog from her bed and set him on the floor. He sat at her feet, staring up at her.

"He's not staying, Xander. I'll take him to the animal shelter in the morning." Buffy said sternly, watching the dog. "What kinda dog is he, anyway?"

Xander shrugged, looking the dog over. He was probably around thirty pounds, his thin, muscled body covered in white and black fur. He had large blue eyes and HUGE paws. "Looks like a husky… maybe a little lab in him or something."

"Great, a mutt…" Buffy muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, every puppy needs a little love." Xander said cheerily as he reached down to pet him.

Spike's eyes darted to Xander as he reached down to touch him. _No bloody way, Whelp. _Standing quickly, he ducked his head away from his hand and began to growl at the boy. 

"Woah, easy boy." Xander said quickly, pulling his hand back. "You sure it's safe to keep him here, Buff? He could be dangerous."

_I'll give you dangerous._ Spike's ears perked up and he looked back to Buffy, wagging his tail happily. Standing on his hind legs, he put his front paws on her knees and let out a small yip. It had the desired effect and Buffy smiled, scratching him behind his ears once more.

"Yeah, Xander, real dangerous." She replied, shaking her head as she stood.

"He tried to bite me!" Xander exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the dog. Spike growled once more.

"Xander, chill. You probably just….smell funny… or something." She shrugged.

"I do not smell funny, thank you." He nodded and inhaled deeply. His face fell. "Okay, maybe I could go for a quick shower…"

"As could I, now do you mind? I'm kinda sleepy… long night of falling on gravestones." Buffy retorted, smiling.

"Yeah, I think we both could use a little rest. Maybe tomorrow we could talk, you know, do they 'friend' thing? You up for it?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Buffy said, nodding. He was right, they both could use a little more time to clear their heads.

He nodded and walked backwards through the door, "Night Buff."

"Night Xander." The slayer muttered as she watched her friend leave. After hearing the front door click shut downstairs, she fell back onto her bed with a sigh. "God…" she mumbled, draping her hand across her face. Her life had been so screwed up lately….

_Sodding Whelp. _Spike scurried up onto the bed and pushed his nose under her hand, forcing it away from her face. _No need to hide that, Sweets._ Buffy's eyes rolled open and she smiled at him, running her hand over his soft fur. He layed himself out next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. 

"Yes, you are really dangerous, aren't you?" She muttered, chuckling. She closed her eyes, but her fingers continued to gently stroke his thick fur. "Night Boy.."

_Night Slayer._ Curling his tail around his paws, he curled up closer to her. God, was she going to kill him when she found out about this. No need to worry 'bout that now though, right now all he was concerned about was the fact that he was close to her and she didn't mind. 


	3. A lil surprise

Spike yawned lazily and stretched his legs in the air as he rolled onto his back. Buffy shifted slightly in her sleep and petted the dog absently, still deep in slumber. The pair looked so peaceful.

Then the phone rang.

Spike shot up quickly and glanced about, startled by the noise. Buffy yawned and reached over to the nightstand to grab the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Buff, it's Xander. You up for coffee in a bit?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, we're doing the friend thing today, aren't we." She glanced at the clock. 9:47. "Give me about thirty minutes, k?"

"No prob. See ya in a bit."

Buffy yawned and set the phone down, still not getting up. Spike was sitting now, staring down at her as she closed her eyes once more. _She looks so cute when she sleeps… _Her eyes rolled open and she smiled at him.

"Hey, puppy_._" She greeted, scratching him on the head. Spike wagged his tail. With another yawn, Buffy stood and headed towards her closet. Hopping off the bed, Spike followed at her heels. She smiled down at him as she pulled a shirt from a hanger. "Sorry, boy, you gotta stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes." She bent down and gave him a quick pat on the head before disappearing out the door to take a shower. She shut it behind her, leaving Spike inside.

_Bugger…_Spike sighed and sat in front of the door, not sure what else to do. _I could always chew up 'er shoes, but that won't help keep me from going to the knackers._ He sighed and looked around. His gaze fells o the window, where a thin stream of sunlight was slipping to the floor from between the blinds. He cocked his head to the side curiously.

Maybe, just maybe….

He walked slowly towards the beam of light, stopping before his paws were dowsed in the white beam. _Here goes nothing._ He poked his paw forward, waiting for the fur to ignite. It didn't. If he could have, he would have grinned. He walked forward, allowing the light to cover his face. _Bloody hell…._ Wagging his tail, he put his paws on the widow sill and shoved the blinds out of the way with his muzzle. He pressed his wet black nose against the glass, looking out at the sunlit street happily.

Then the happy moment was ruined.

Xander came walking up the sidewalk, obviously intent on coming in as he turned into Buffy driveway. A deep growl resounded in Spike's chest before he even realized he did it. His head snapped back as he heard the door open behind him. Buffy came up to him and peered out the window as she dried her hair with a towel.

"Oh, Xander's here…" She muttered. Spike turned back to the window and growled. Buffy laughed and patted him on the head.. "I don't know why you don't like him."

_Because he's a bloody wanker…._ Spike thought as he stared down at him, his ears flat against his head.

"Come on boy." Buffy called as she walked out of the room. Spike gave Xander one last glare from the window before darting after her and down the stairs. Xander walked in through the door as he reached the base of the stairs. The vampire puppy stopped dead in his tracks and stared at him.

"Hey Xander." Buffy greeted from the kitchen. "I'll be there in a minute, I have to get something from the garage."

"K, Buff." Xander closed the door and knelt down on the floor, smiling stupidly at Spike. Spike sat down in front of him, staring him in the eye. "Hey boy, come 'ere." Xander coaxed, snapping his fingers.

Spike smirked inwardly and stepped towards him, his tail wagging. Xander went to pet him, but at the last second the dog snapped, nipping his fingers. 

"Ow!!." Xander yelped, standing. He waved his hand in the air and glare down at the puppy. If he didn't know any better he'd say that the canine was smirking at him.

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, walking back into the room with a thin rope in her hands.

"He bit me!" Xander whined, pointing an accusing finger at the pup. He looked up at Buffy innocently, wagging his tail back and forth.

"Bit you? Xander, this dog wouldn't hurt a fly." She said, smiling as she shook her head. Kneeling on the floor, she motioned for Spike to come over. He happily obliged, nearly bounding over to her.

"What are you doing?" Xander asked.

"I don't have a leash for him, so this'll have to do." Buffy said as she went to tie the rope around his neck. "We'll drop him off at the shelter on the way, you don't mind, do you?" Xander shook his head in reply.

_Uh-oh…_Spike scrambled away and dashed into the living room, ducking quickly behind the couch.

"Ugh, come here boy." Buffy called as she headed into the living room. Xander followed, his hands in his pockets. Buffy leaned over the couch and Spike slinked further back, letting out a pitiful whimper. "Oh, come on, get out of there." Buffy whined as she bent down, trying to grab at him with her hand. He ducked away, narrowly avoiding her extended digits. She tried to grab him again, but he slipped past her hand and raced out from behind the couch.

"I got him!" Xander shouted, taking off after the dog as he raced up the stairs. Glancing down the hallway, he saw nothing. "Oh here puppy, puppy, puppy…" He called between whistles. He heard a soft scraping noise from Buffy's room. Xander walked in in time to see the pup'd tail disappear under the bed.

"You find him?" Buffy asked, walking up behind him.

"Under the bed." Xander pointed out.

"Great…" Buffy muttered as she got down on her knees to pear under the mattress. "Come on boy, please?" She patted her knee, but Spike just sat there scrunched up against the wall. Another small whimper escaped him throat.

_Come on, Slayer, feel bad for me already…_Spike was caught off guard as Xande grabbed for him from the other side. He growled and snapped at him hand once more.

"Buffy? I'm home!" 

Spike's ears perked up. Nibblet. _Okay, new plan._ Spike snapped at Xander again, causing the boy to pull back. He dashed past him quickly, making his way towards the stairs. He flew down them two at a time, his eyes searching frantically for Dawn. He saw the teen sitting on the couch. His eyes shot back to the top of the stairs as Buffy came rushing down, Xander on her heels.

"Come here!!" Buffy ordered sternly.

_Sorry pet, can't do that. _Spike wagged his tail and darted into the living room. His white paws left the ground and he landed with a soft thump in Dawn's lap.

The girl's eyes lit up and she grinned. "Oh my god, Buffy, you got a puppy?!"


	4. ...purple?!

"But Buffy…"

"Dawn, no."

"Buffy…" Dawn continued to whine as Spike curled up next to her on the couch, looking up hopefully at the Slayer.

"Dawn, you can't take care of a dog." Buffy argued, crossing her arms over her chest. Xander was sitting in a chair behind her, staying out of the argument.

"Can too. I mean, I'm home a lot a-and I don't have to go over Janice's as much as usual. Plus no one else is ever here, he can keep me company."

"You don't need a dog to keep you company, people work much better for the job." Buffy countered. Spike sat up and whimpered, giving her what he could only guess was his best puppy eyes. Hey, he'd only been a dog for less than a day, he still wasn't sure what he was doing.

"Please, Buffy, he needs a home." Dawn begged as she hugged the dog. 

_K, Nibblet, Ole Spikey needs to breathe now…._ Spike could almost feel his eyes bugging out as the girl hugged him._ No wonder the girl doesn't have any pets…._

"Dawn, don't do this. Some one else will adopt him from the shelter, I promise. He'll find a great home."

"But what if no one does? They'll put him to sleep. Please, Buffy?" It was Dawn's turn to give the Slayer puppy eyes.

_Just say yes already. _Spike thought as Dawn continued to hug him tightly. He made a mental note never to buy the girl a pet. Well, maybe a goldfish….

"Dawn…" Buffy began to protest again, but her arms dropped to the side. "Fine, but…"

"Oh, thank you!!" Dawn was off the couch in an instant, wrapping her arms tightly around Buffy. "I'll take care of him, I promise."

Spike wagged his tail and barked._ Way to go, Bit._

"He's your responsibility, got it? You pay for the vet visits, you pay for the food, you take him for walks, you train him, and you get him fixed." Buffy ordered sternly. Dawn nodded happily in agreement.

Spike's ears fell. _Bugger…_

"I'll talk to Anya, you know, see about helping out in the shop after for money?" Dawn suggested. Spike noticed a pained look cross Xander's face at the mention of the ex-demon's name. He almost felt bad for the Whelp.

Almost.

"Here. Me and Xander are going to get some coffee. You can give it back when you get some cash." Buffy pulled a wad of spare bills from her pocket and handed them to her sister. Dawn nodded happily and made her way to the door. "And Dawn,"

"Yeah?" The teen asked, turning back to face her. 

"You pay for everything. got it?"

"….yeah. Money." She waved the bills in the air and smiled. "Come on, boy." She patted her leg, motioning for Spike to follow. Spike turned to look at Buffy.

"Go on, you're her dog now." She said, smiling as she nodded towards Dawn.

_And why does that make me nervous…._ Spike sighed and hopped down from the couch, following obediently after Dawn. Buffy couldn't help but smile as she watched Dawn walk out the door with her new pet.

"So, how long do you give the poor creature?" Xander asked as he stood.

"Xander! She's not that irresponsible…" She protested. They both fell silent, thinking that phrase over. Dawn and responsibility….Buffy, pouted. "Four months, now let's go."

----------

"So, I guess you need a name, huh?" Dawn questioned her canine companion as she pushed the door of the pet shop open.

_Already have one, Bit._ Spike thought as he looked around curiously. For some reason a big bin of pork bones caught his attention and smelled **really** appetizing. _Now that's just disgusting…_He cringed, thinking about eating one of the things. Hopefully he'd find a way to be turned back before the whole dog food issue came up. Blood he could deal with, but he had a feeling that a big bowl of dog food wouldn't taste very good, even with his puppy tastebuds.

"Let's see, I guess we should get food first, huh?" Dawn grabbed a cart and started to push it down an aisle. 

Bloody peachy…He sat at Dawn's feet as the girl looked over the various brands of dog food, contemplating which to get. She settled on a large red bag marked 'Puppy Chow' and threw it in the cart. The girl then turned to look at the bowls lining the shelves on the other side of the aisle as Spike squinted to read the bag's label. "Tender, meaty chunks made with real beef and chicken." I don't want to know what else it's made with…He thought sorrowfully. He snapped back to attention as Dawn threw two large metal bowls in on top of the food. "Come on, we'll get you some toys and a collar and stuff." 

_And stuff…_He tailed along after the girl, watching patiently as threw various toys and treats into the cart. Bones, chew toys, ropes, balls. Hell, he felt bad for the girl. He didn't plan on staying a puppy forever, which meant she was wasting her money on all this stuff. Maybe he'd have to rethink that whole 'No pets for Dawn' policy. Maybe he'd get her a new puppy.

Yeah, maybe he'd get her a dog and then maybe he'd be over her house everyday when she wasn't there to make sure the thing got fed.

"How bout this one?" His eyes shot to Dawn as she help up a bright purple collar.

_No bloody way…_. His eyes went wide as he looked at the purple number. The **bright** purple number. _I'm a guy, Nibblet, a guy!!_ He whimpered in protest, hoping she'd get the idea. Dawn found this funny.

"Oh, come on. It'll look cute." She said between giggles. Bending down, she snapped the collar around his neck. Spike didn't think the thing could stand out anymore against the white fur on his neck. Dawn stood up and smiled down at him. "See? It looks cute.."

_I don't wanna look **cute**._ Spike looked quickly at the rack of collars. Scrambling over, he grabbed a black one in his teeth and dropped it on the floor. 

Dawn cringed. "Eww, I'm not getting you a black one."

_Nibblet!_ Spike whimpered again as Dawn picked up the collar and placed it back on the rack. He let out a sharp yelp and grabbed it back down._ I'm not wearing a purple collar._

"Bad dog." Dawn scolded, pointing a finger at him as she hung it once more. "Now let's go."

Spike was ready to give up and follow when something a bit further down the aisle caught his eye. He rushed down and grabbed it in his mouth. Dawn grinned and took the spiked black collar from his mouth.

"Oh, yes, we'll buy you this one and then we can name you Spike." She said sarcastically.

_Good plan, now pick it back up and pay for it. _He wagged his tail and barked.

"I'm pretty sure Spike would get mad if I named my dog after him." She said, patting the dog on the head. 

_I would if I wasn't your bloody dog!_ _Now buy the sodding collar! _Sitting down, he began to scratch at the one around his neck. Dawn rolled her eyes and bent down to take it off of him.

"There, you happy?" Spike wagged his tail as Dawn grabbed the spiked collar once more. "Buffy's going to kill me for this, you know…"

_Course she will, pet, now name me Spike and let's go home._ Spike thought impatiently as Dawn put the collar around his neck.

"There, can we leave now?" She asked, smiling as she stood. Spike barked in reply. 

Get home, find out what the hell happened to him, and find out how to fix it. Yes, fix it before someone fixed **him**. Literally.

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A/N: I'm not gonna go into detail about Buffy and Xander's little coffee trip. Just imagine that it went something like what happened in the end of 'Seeing Red', only without the whole 'getting shot' thing.


	5. Is that you!?

--Later that night--

"Hello?" The bells above the door of the Magic Box jingled as Dawn walked in. "Anya, you here?" The teen let the door swing shut as she walked in, narrowly avoiding squishing Spike as he followed after her.

Anya walked out of the back room smiling. "Hello. Welcome to the Magi…oh, it's you. I thought there was a paying consumer out here." 

"Sorry, just me. Besides, I have no money to spend." Dawn replied with a shrug.

"As I have noticed." The blonde replied. Dawn's gaze fell to the floor as the subject of her little 'grabbing habit' came up.

_Now that was a bit uncalled for._ Spike shook his furry head as he sat next to Dawn's feet. If he could have, he would have defended the poor teen, but the fact that he was a dog prevented him from doing so. He sighed and looked around, studying the magick shop from a much lower perspective than he was used to.

"Well, um, I know I've worked off everything I owed you, but I was wondering, do you still need any help around here? I mean, you know, like after school and stuff?" Dawn asked sheepishly.

"You want a job." Anya stated bluntly.

"Well, yeah, see, I got a puppy and Buffy said th…"

"Yes." Anya cut in.

" ..at I had to….huh?" Dawn's brow furrowed as she looked up at Anya.

"I said yes, you may have a job. I could use the help, plus it's been pretty lonely around here lately." Well that was a bit easier than she had thought it would be.

"Yeah, this place isn't quite Scooby central anymore, is it." Dawn muttered softly. "If it makes you feel any better, it's not like they just relocated. I mean, well, no one really hangs out anymore. Everyone has their own lives, you know?"

"Yeah, I know…" They both fell silent for a few moments, staring at the floor. Spike was suddenly glad he wasn't himself, he wasn't sure he could face the ex-demon quite yet, at least not as himself. "What's his name?"

"Huh?" Dawn looked up curiously as Anya broke the silence. She was staring at Spike. "Oh, him." She shrugged. "He doesn't have one."

"You know, I knew this one demon who had a pet. It wasn't a dog, it was more of a slug with a furry tail, but anyway, his name was Spefton and…"

"Hey." Anya's rambling was cut off as Buffy walked in. She offered Anya a small smile and threw her bag on the table. As much as she fought it, she was angry at the girl for what she had done with Spike. As far as she was concerned, jealousy was a big no no when it came to Spike type things. The slayer was drawn from her thoughts as Spike bounced over to her, wagging his tail happily. He couldn't help it, the thing just seemed to have a mind of it's own: wag when you're happy and, well, sit there if you're not.

"Anya said I could have my job back." Dawn stated proudly.

"That's great." Buffy replied with a smile as she knelt down to pet the puppy. "Dawn, what it the dog wearing?" Her face scrunched up as she poked at the spikey collar.

"I didn't want that one either, he did." Dawn explained. The other girls looked at her like she was mad.

_Good job, Bit. Make em think you're crazy. 'The doggy told me to murder the innocent people, really!' _Spike thought sarcastically as he sat down next to Buffy, who was still kneeling on the floor.

"You should name him Spike." Anya spat. Buffy's eyes shot to her defensively, a little shocked.

"What?" She asked weakly as she stood and took a few steps toward her. Spike stayed next to her feet.

"Well, he likes you, obviously, and he's following you around just like Spike. 'A lost little puppy.'" She finished as she rolled her eyes.

Something clicked in Spike's head. Anya did this, she made him a bloody dog! _Okay pet, fun's over, fix me now._

"We're not naming him Spike…" Buffy said quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Anya shrugged and walked behind the counter to grab some paperwork. "It was just a suggestion. I doubt Spike would like it anyway." She looked up to find Buffy looking at her, a look of annoyance on her face. "..sorry." She added with a shrug.

Buffy shook her head. "…No, don't worry about it. W-we have to go anyways. See you later." Dawn was already waiting by the door. Buffy grabbed her bag and walked towards her sister, Spike on her heels. The canine looked back over his shoulder at Anya, who seemed to care less that he was there.

Okay, so maybe she didn't turn him into a dog…. Or maybe she didn't know it….

---------

"Dawnie, I'm leaving. You gonna be okay by yourself?!" Buffy called up the stairs. She heard a large thump from Dawn's room and Spike came racing down the stairs.

"I'll be fine!!" Dawn replied.

"K, just don't stay up too late, you have school in the morning." Buffy instructed as she turned to go out the door. Spike was seated in front of it, looking at her pitifully. "Sorry boy, you can't go. Buffy's got monsters to kill." The slayer picked the dog up and set him to the side. She was halfway out the door when she heard him whimpering. Turning, she found him on his hind legs, nudging gently at Spike's coat, which now hung from the coat rack.

_Come on pet, put two and two together._ Spike thought, hoping maybe she'd figure out it was him.

Buffy sighed and grabbed the coat. "Fine, I'll take it back to him, but you still have to stay here." 

Okay, wrong idea… 

She turned to leave again but he raced out ahead of her and sat on the path in front of her. She sighed. "Okay, you win." She turned back to the house and shouted through the door. "Dawn, you care if I take the dog?!"

Dawn appeared at the top of the stairs in her pj's. "What?"

"He wants to go for a walk." She explained, motioning to the puppy.

"I guess." Dawn answered with a shrug.

----------

"So, he tells me over and over he loves me and then what does he do? He goes and sleeps with my best's friends ex-fiance! I mean, sure, I told him to move on, but this wasn't even a day later!" Buffy rambled to the dog walking alongside her. She had a stake in one hand and Spike's jacket in the other.

Spike was beginning to wonder why the girls like to have conversations with creatures who had no choice but to listen and couldn't talk back. It was strange, really. Sure, he had conversations with his liquer bottles on occasion, but that was only when he was **really** drunk.

"…God, I don't even know why I care! Sure, we had sex a few times…well, a lot. But that was it, wasn't it? I mean, it's not like we were dating. We weren't even friends." She said, trying to reassure herself. "And then he…" She was cut off as a vampire jumped at her, catching her off guard in the midst of her rambling. It tackled her to the ground and threw her stake from her hand. 

Spike was on the creature in a second, digging his sharp teeth into the flesh on his leg. The vamp roared in pain and forgot about the slayer as he turned to swing at the dog. Buffy used the opportunity to kick him off of her and stood, taking up a fighting stance. 

Spike grinned mentally as the vampire stood and tried to grab at him. He ran between the creatures legs and took off down the street as Buffy connected her fists with it's jaw. She looked at Spike in surprise as he trotted back up to her, her stake in his mouth. Shrugging, she took it from him and impaled the vamp, sending his ashes floating in the wind.

She looked at the dog curiously. He just stood there, wagging his tail. "Well, um, good boy…I think…" She blinked a few times, shook her head and continued back through the cemetery.

_Home sweet home._ Spike thought as the slayer pushed the door to his crypt open.

"Spike?" She looked around for a moment before coming to the conclusion that he wasn't there. "Way to go, Spike, run from your problems…" She mumbled, tossing the jacket over the back of the couch.

_I'm right here pet…._ Spike thought solemnly.

"Oh, hey there!" Buffy and Spike both turned to find Clem standing in the doorway, smiling broadly. "I'm here to see Spike, you know, maybe watch some movies, have some snacks..."

_Way to put it, Clem, now the Slayer's gonna think I'm shagging you too…._

"Um, he's not here…." Buffy answered quickly as she made her way towards the door. He stepped to the side, allowing her through. She walked a few paces, but stopped, turning back to him. "You…you don't know where he is, do you?" She asked hopefully.

Clem shrugged. "I haven't seen him in a few nights. I stopped by last night and he wasn't here. From the looks of it no one's been here in a few days."

"He left?" Buffy asked softly.

"Left? Maybe. Why, did you guys get into another fight?" Clem asked a little too happily.

"Yeah..well, no. Sorta. I mean, its complicated." She shook her head and turned to leave again, but once again turned back to the demon. "He told you we were together?"

_Uh-oh…._

"Nah. Well, he did, but it was kind of obvious before that, just the way you two acted around each other. You know, aside from the beating the crap out of each other. Whenever you guys fought he wasn't much fun to hang around. He was always all mopey and teary."

"Teary?" she asked softly.

_Great, now she's thinks I'm a sissy…_Spike snorted and sat down.

"Sometimes. Other times he was just mad."

"Oh…" She muttered, looking to the ground.

"Don't feel too bad, he always pulled out of it. You two'll get through your problems, trust me. Plus, you just make the cutest little couple." He grinned.

Buffy couldn't help but smile a bit. "Clem, we're not…."

"Oh, I gotta go!" The demon exclaimed, catching a glance of a clock in Spike's crypt. "The new episode of Survivor's coming on in a few minutes. Hope you guys work it out." He patted her on the shoulder as he walked away, not wanting to miss his show.

"You don't know where he is?" She called after him, feeling a little bad. Or maybe she was just scared.

"Nope, but I'll let you know if I see him." Clem called over his shoulder. He gave her a small wave before disappearing from sight. 

"Maybe we could name you Spike… I doubt he's gonna come back anyway." Buffy muttered. "Come on, let's go home…"

Spike panicked. She thought he left! _Bugger…_He let out a sharp yip and dashed back into his crypt. Leaping onto the couch, he crawled under his coat.

"Come on, let's go." Buffy ordered. She walked in and pulled the coat away from his head. "Stop it, now let's go." He was laying flat on the couch, the coat draped over his body, only his cute little puppy head visable. She sighed when he didn't budge. He was staring up at his with those big blue eyes of his.

His.

She cocked her head to the side and stared at him a bit more closely. His eyes….

"Oh. My. God. Spike?!" she shrieked. He let out a small yip and wagged his tail.

_Good guess Slayer._

"There is no way that's you." She spat, shaking her head. He just sat on the arm of the couch, staring at her.

_It is me, luv._

"There's no way…" she muttered again, shaking her head frantically. "I mean, you're a dog. You can't be Spike."

Can too…He hopped from the couch and ran over to the corner. He came back with a shirt in his mouth. Her shirt. A shirt she had left after they had….yeah. 

Buffy's eyes widened and she snatched it from him. "No way. I mean, dog's can track stuff, this doesn't prove anything." She told herself. Spike barked sharply in protest. "Um…okay." She knelt down in front of the dog, feeling completely stupid. This was absolutely crazy. "One bark for yes, two for no, got it?"

Spike barked once.

"Erm, okay, is Spike's real name… Daniel?"

Two barks.

"Robert?"

Two barks.

"..William?"

One bark.

She stared at him for a moment. Maybe he was just a possessed demon puppy. I mean, he didn't necessarily have to be Spike, did he? Or maybe he wa just really smart.

"Um…..me and Spike, we had sex at my house…. You know, the first time."

Two barks.

"The movies?"

Two barks.

"An old building?"

One.

Her eyes lit up. He was the only person who knew that…. _Yeah, pet, it's me…_ Spike thought, a bit relieved. Maybe finally someone could try and turn him back into himself. Sure, it had been fun hanging around her house without anyone yellin at him to leave, but the canine bit was getting old. Yes, now she could help change him back.

 "I'll kill you!!" She jumped at him, fire blazing in her eyes.

His ears fell flat. _Bugger…._


	6. 'Fixing'

"Dawn!!" Buffy stormed through the front door, dragging Spike roughly behind her by the scruff of his neck. He'd given up fighting against her hold earlier and now just let her drag him across the ground.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Dawn appeared at the top of the stairs, just in time to see Buffy toss Spike roughly to the ground in front of her. "Buffy!!" She raced down the stairs, glaring at her sister as she enveloped the dog in her arms. "What's your problem?!"

"I went to take Spike's jacket back to him. He wasn't home." She spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So you beat the crap out of my dog?"

"Your dog **is **Spike." Buffy shot, glaring at the dog. Spike just whimpered and slunk down to the floor.

"What?" Dawn asked, standing. "Buffy, your crazy."

"No, I'm not." She bent down and grabbed Spike by the neck once more, lifting him from the ground roughly as she stormed out the door. "Call Anya. Tell her I'm on my way to the shop." She demanded as she slammed the door.

"Buffy!!" Dawn screeched, whipping the door back open.

"Stay there." Buffy demanded. Dawn glared at her and slammed the door.

----------

_Okay, I have legs you know…_Spike wiggled a bit, trying to get out of the Slayer's tight grasp. It was really uncomfortable being carried around by one's neck.

"Stoppit." Buffy demanded, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

He growled.

So she smacked him on the muzzle. "Don't even. You may be a dog, but I will **not **hesitate to end your miserable life." He continued to glare and a soft growl emitted from his chest. Buffy rolled her eyes and tossed him to the street. "Fine, walk, but **don't** try anything, got it?"

_Like what? Run away so some pup-catcher can find me and take me to the pound? I don't think so._ Spike glared and began to walk towards the magic box with her, keeping about three feet between them.

"I'm so going to kill you when we fix you." Buffy stated, not looking at him.

_Than bloody do it now and get it over with._

"God Spike! I can't believe you would do something like this! Your so….ugh!" She threw her arms in the air and began to walk faster. The sooner she found a way to fix him, the sooner she could kick his ass. It wouldn't look too good if the Slayer was seen beating up puppies, now, would it?

_Yeah, Slayer, I **really** wanted to be a bloody puppy. It's always been my master plan, you know. Become a puppy and lick the sodding slayer to death._ Spike's ears were flat against the back of his head as he followed her into the magic box.

"Buffy, Dawn called and said you were coming. What's wrong?" Anya asked as she looked up from the counter.

Buffy kicked Spike in front of her. "**He **is my problem."

"A puppy?"

"No. Spike."

"So it's not the puppy?"

"No, it is."

"But I thought you said it was Spike." 

"No. Spike **is** the puppy."

Anya blinked a few times. "…Oh."

"Yeah, big 'Oh.'" Buffy ground out, glaring at the dog.

"Well, how did it happen? I mean, most people don't usually turn into animals."

"I don't care **how** it happened, I just want it fixed."__

_Do they have any idea how much I'm starting to hate that word? 'Fix' has a whole 'nother special meaning to a dog._

"Well, I suppose we could do revealing spell to find out what made him like this. It could take awhile though."

"I don't **want** to know what did this to him. I just want him back to normal so I can beat the crap out of him without feeling bad."

"Buffy, I'm not Willow. Maybe she could pull off a spell like this, but not me. The only thing we can do is find out what made him like this and hope we can reverse it."

"…." Buffy continued to glare at Spike. "Fine. I'll go ask around, see if anyone finally got tired of his shit and decided to get back at him. I'll be back in awhile.." She turned to go to the door, but Anya called after her.

"Aren't you going to take him with you?" She motioned to Spike, who was still scowling as best as a puppy could.

"No."

"Well you can't leave him here." Anya pointed out. Personally she just didn't want to be alone with him if she found a way to change him back. Having that happen would more than likey strain her and Buffy's relationship further.

"Fine. He can go home until we find a way to fix him."

Again with the 'fixing' me line 

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, Spike isn't necessarily the most popular guy in town. If anyone finds out it's him…."

"Fine! I'll take him with me. Just hurry, I don't want to have to pummel him until I can hear him scream." She directed the last part venomously at Spike, who narrowed his eyes at her.

----------


	7. Puppy Love

A/N thanks to Jane for the whole "No honestly, he's really a evil vampire!" idea. I decided to play around with the idea a bit ^_^

----------

Buffy glanced at Spike quickly out of the corner of her eye. The vampire-gone-dog was walking about two feet away, his eyes locked on her. "Stop looking at me." She commanded.

Yes, your highness…Spike diverted his eyes back to the ground. 

"Augh!! This is no use." Buffy stomped her foot and glared annoyingly at him.  "I'm going home." She turned on her heels and made her way up the dimly lit street. They had searched and pummeled demons for the remainder of the night but nothing had come up. Morning was now upon them and they still had nothing.

_Um, ello, still a dog here._ Spike rolled his eyes and followed after her.

Buffy stopped and glared at him. "What are you doing? Go home!!"__

_Vampire-Spike may live in that dark ole crypt, but puppy-Spike lives with you, sweets._ Spike sat on the ground and wagged his tail. 

"You're not coming back to my house." She stated, putting her hands on her hips.

And what the bloody hell am I supposed to do then? Rummage through dumpsters? 

"Just….stay. Got it? Staaay." She ordered him in a pure doggy manner as she pointed a finger at him and began to walk away. Spike just yawned and took up step behind her once more. "Spike!! God, what is your problem?! I don't want you!! You're not my dog, got it?!"

_You told Dawn she could keep me._ He thought cockily.

"Just… I don't know, go to the park, go to your crypt, just **don't** come to my house!!" she shook her head at him and began to storm down the street once more. She stopped when she heard Spike's claws clicking on the pavement behind her. In one quick movement, she spun around and grabbed him by the neck, narrowly avoiding being poked by his collar.

_Ouch, Slayer, I don't think you're supposed to use your nails to pick me up like that…._

"Listen to me. First off, you're an evil bloodsucking vampire!! Why would I let you in my house? Secondly, you just want sex. That's all that matters to you! Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex!!"

_No, that would be you, pet. I'm in this 'cause I love you._

"You tell me over and over how much you love me and that you'd never do anything to hurt me, and then what do you do? You sleep with my best friend's ex-fiance!! Some love, Spike. I break up with you for a day and you find someone else to bang. Plus, you always…"

Wait, we broke up? Don't you have to be together in order to break up? 

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Buffy turned as a woman tapped her on the shoulder and gave her a small smile.

"Are you alright?"

"Um…" Buffy glanced from the woman to Spike and back again. She must have saw her whole little rant. **_Great, a stranger thinks I'm sleeping with a dog, just great.  _**"It's not what you think, really." She said in a measley attempt to save her pride.

_Oh this is just bloody great….. _Spike's grinned inwardly and wiggled, trying to get free from her grasp. Buffy gave him a sharp jolt and he took the hint and held still.

"Well, maybe I should take him." The woman said with a nod as she extended her arms to take Spike from Buffy's grasp.

"What? Spike? No, no. I mean.. he's my sister's dog, you can't take him."

"Miss, you just yelled at him for cheating on you…." The woman pointed out.

"Well… no, ha, you see, I'm in a play. Y-yes, a play a-and I was just rehearsing with the dog." She put on a fake smile and dropped Spike to the ground. She continued to smile at the woman as she pushed him behind her with her foot.

"You're in a play….about vampires and sex?" the woman asked skeptically. Not only was it a far out idea, but wasn't this girl a bit old for plays?

"Yes." Buffy nodded.

"Well, alright I suppose. Just try to be a bit more gentle with him, okay?" She motioned to Spike as she began to walk past Buffy.

"Yeah, I will….." Buffy continued to smile cheesily as the woman disappeared from sight. Spike sat at her feet, wagging his tail. Her grin faded and she glared at Spike. "March. **Now.**" She growled, pointing in the direction of her house.

----------

"Dawn!" Buffy called up the stairs as she closed the door. She glanced at the wall clock and determined that the girl had about fifteen minutes to walk to school.

"I'm right here." Dawn stated as she walked out of the kitchen, her bookbag slung over her shoulder. She looked skeptically down at Spike, "So, is that him?"

"Yes, Dawn, it's him. Now get going so you're not late."

"Do you know how to change him back?"

"I'm working on it. Now go." She ushered Dawn out the door by her shoulders and shut it behind her. When she turned back around, Spike was staring again. "Go dig a hole or something." She commanded as she marched into the living room, wanting to stay as far away from the pooch as possible.

----------

*Later that night*

"Oooo, are you looking for a spell to cast on Xander?"

Anya looked up from the book in her lap as Hallie walked in. She rolled her eyes. "No, Hallie, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not cursing Xander. I'm looking for a spell to help Spike."

"Oh. A love spell for Buffy then." Hallie stated as she sat down.

"No, Spike somehow managed to get himself turned into a puppy and I'm trying to find out how so I can fix him."

"A puppy?"

"Yes, Hallie, a puppy."

"Hmm. That's interesting." The demon shrugged and stood up. "I would help, but I have to….oh, hell, I just don't want to help. Maybe I'll come back later." She snapped her fingers and was gone.

"Why gee Hallie, you're such a helpful friend." Anya said sarcastically to herself as she stood. Walking over to a shelf, she grabbed a few herbs and some black powdery stuff. Sighing, she threw the ingredients into small bowl on the counter. "Let's just hope this works…." She muttered absently to herself. She'd been doing that a lot lately, what with not having anyone to talk to.

Striking  a match, she tossed it into the bowl and watched as it erupted into large blue flames. When they died down, a thin trail of purple smoke remained in the air. Anya raised an eyebrow and tried to fan the smoke towards the door. "Um, go…. Do whatever it is you do." Much to her surprise, it didn't go out the door, but made it's way to the other end of the shop and began to swirl around a green orb on the shelf.

----------


	8. Poof!

Buffy cast a quick glance at Spike, who was snoozing on the couch. Shaking her head, she returned her gaze to the pile of bills on the floor in front of her. She was even less productive with paying these than she had been with trying to find whatever did this to Spike. Groaning, she scooped the bills up and slammed them down on the coffee table. 

Spike jumped up at the sound, his eyes darting back and forth. They fell on Buffy, who was sitting on the floor with her elbows on the table and her head buried in her hands. _Poor Slayer._ Spike hopped down quietly and walked over to her, hoping she would tear his little furry head from his shoulders.

Buffy looked down as something nudged her hand. Spike was sitting next to her, watching her with big blue eyes. She opened her mouth to yell at him, but instead just shook her head. Smiling slightly, she ran her hand down his back. "Thanks…" Even as a mangy dog there was something comforting about having him there. "But you're not getting off that easily." She warned, sticking a finger in his face as she stood. She ruffled the fur on his head and made her way into the kitchen.

_Yeah, but we can be friends till then, ey luv?_ He thought, following after her.

"You hungry?" she asked as she dug through the fridge.

Two barks.

She let out a small laugh. "Good, I think seeing a puppy drinking blood would be a bit traumatizing."

_Nah, maybe a bit disturbing, but you'd get over it._

She shook her head and closed the fridge. "Come on, we'll go do a quick patrol and see if Anya found anything."

----------

Anya looked up as the bell rang from above the door. Dawn walked in and offered her a small smile. "Hey. You find anything?"

"Sort of. I mean, I know what made him like he is, but I don't know how to fix it." She sighed and stared at the green orb on the table in front of her.

"That thing did it?" Dawn asked, setting down her bookbag and staring at the orb. "What is it?"

"Orb of Fegruu. It grants the will of whoever is holding it."

"So why don't we just pick it up and wish for Spike to be a vampire again?"

"Because it only works once which means I'm going to have to buy a new one for the shop because this one is no good anymore. No one buys magic items that don't perform magic." She ranted.

"Oh…."

----------

"Spike, get out of the way!" Buffy ordered. She had her arms looped around the neck of a large black demon and the thing nearly plowed over Spike as it tried to shake her off of him. She had hoped do dust a vamp or two tonight, but instead they were greeted at the cemetery by a very large and very teed-off black demon. It roared and tossed her roughly to the ground. She landed with a harsh thump against the side of a marble statue. Raising one of it's long black claws, it prepared to slash at her.

Growling, Spike jumped at the creature, burying his sharp teeth into it's leg. It howled in pain and turned to face the dog, snarling. It tried to grab at him, but he leapt nimbly out of the way. _Come on mate, you'll have to do better than that._ It swung again and Spike used the oprotunity to dash under it's legs. It turned to grab him once more but instead was met with the rather angry face of the slayer. She swung her fist, nailing him harshly in the jaw. It stumbled backwards and snapped it' jaw at her. It lunged at her and it's sheer mass knocked her to the ground.

"Oof." Buffy tried to kick the thing off of her, but it was no use, it was too big. It used a large fist to hit her across the face.

A deep growl emitted from Spike's throat and he jumped at the demon once more. Landing on it's back, he sunk his teeth into it's neck. Roaring, it stood up quickly, forgetting completely about the Slayer who was laying on the ground, nearly unconscious from the blow. Spike continued to growl and tightened his hold as the demon tried to throw him from it's back.

----------

"It's no use. I can't find anything." Anya said defeatedly as she slammed her book down on the counter. "Perhaps we should just let Spike stay a dog. I mean, it can't be that bad, can it?"

Dawn stared at Anya like she was mad. "I'm pretty sure Spike wouldn't like that."

"Yeah, I guess so. Plus Buffy would probably get mad too. She's always….what are you doing?" Anya stared at Dawn as the girl made her way over to where the orb was sitting. Cocking her head to the side, she picked it up and examined it. "Dawnie, I've been looking for hours. It's no use."

"I have an idea." The teen stated.

"Dawn, please, I've tried four different spells to reverse whatever that thing did. The odds that you'll be able to fix it are astronomical."

Dawn shrugged and dropped the orb to the ground, breaking it into hundreds of tiny pieces. A thin green mist rose from the shattered remains and then vanished.

"Well, I never thought of that." Anya said with a shrug.

----------

_I'll kill you you bloody wanker._ Spike thought as he continued to sink his teeth deeped into the back of the monster's neck. _You hurt my Slayer._

The demon growled and tried to reach over it's shoulder to grab him, but failed. Instead, it flung Spike about, causing him to loosen his grip a bit.

_Bugger._ Spike was about to let go before he could be thrown from the demons shoulders, but a strange green light formed around his body. _What the…._ This distracted him enough for the demon to throw him to the ground. Much to his surprise, he landed with a soft thud on his feet. His _two_ feet, boots and all.

He grinned and looked up at the demon. "Well, now, ain't this a pleasant little surprise?" He chuckled and lunged at the creature, punching and kicking furiously. Kicking the creature in the chest and sending him stumbling backwards, Spike used the opportunity to grab it's head and twist sharply, snapping it's neck.

"God I missed being able to kick the hell outta you lot." He grinned and knelt down beside Buffy, who was beginning to stir. Brushing her hair from her face, he smiled. "'ey pet."

"Spike?" she asked softly. "How did you…."

"Dunno, luv. And personally, I don't care. All I know is I'm my good ole self again.." Offering her his hand, he pulled her to her feet. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She assured him. "And Spike?"

"Yeah luv?"

She punched him in the nose. "That's for lying to me."

"Bugger!" He complained, wiping the small stream of blood that had begun to flow away from his nose. "Lyin' 'bout what?"

"Being a dog."

"I din't bloody lie 'bout it, I couldn't even bloody talk!"

"Yeah, well, you could have written it down or something." She shot.

"Paws." He stated, holding up his hands.

She grabbed his hand and pulled it down. "Well you didn't have to act all puppy-ish. I would have figured it out a lot sooner if you hadn't."

"You would have sent me to the pound!" he protested.

She grinned. "I should have. You know, let **them** fix you." She made a little snipping motion with her fingers.

Spike shook his head and clucked his tongue. "You think that's funny, do you?" She nodded. "Well, you know what I find funny?"

"What?"

"I was walking around your house naked for three days."

----------

A/N One more chapter after this. Thanks for reading and please review!


	9. William

"Do you think it worked?" Anya asked Dawn. They were both seated at the table, staring at the shattered remains of the once shiny green orb. Now it was nothing but a pile of dull glass.

Dawn went to answer, but the ringing of the bell above the door caught her attention. She turned to see Spike walking in, supporting a rather beaten looking Buffy by the waist. She wasn't the only one who looked beaten though. Spike was sporting a fresh bloody nose and a light bruise on the side of his face.

Most likely from Buffy.

"My guess is yeah, it worked." Dawn stated.

"I take it you found a way to fix me, ey?" Spike questioned Anya as he helped Buffy to sit down.

"Well, I located what turned you into a dog, but Dawn's the one who figured out how to change you back." Anya pointed out.

"Nibblet?" Spike raised and eyebrow at the girl.

"See? I'm good for something around here." Dawn said proudly. Spike smiled fondly at her and ruffled her hair before turning back to Anya.

"So who did this to me?"

"I said I found 'what' did this to you, not 'who'."

"Well _what _was it then?" Anya motioned to the pile of broken glass by his feet. 

"A broken bottle turned Spike into a puppy?" Buffy questioned.

"No, the pile of glass used to be an Orb of Fegruu, but it's no good now."

"Obviously." Spike stated, pushing at the pile of glass with the toe of his boot.

"So what are we gonna do? I mean, someone or something obviously wanted Spike out of the picture. We have to find out who." Buffy said, looking between the rooms other occupants.

"Slayer, if someone wanted me dead, wouldn't it make more sense to, you know, kill me?" Spike pointed out, smirking at her.

"Why do that when they could turn you into a dog and force you to spend the rest of your miserable life eating dog food and being held on a leash? Plus, there's that whole 'vet visit' we had planned, right Dawnie?" Buffy replied, smirking right back at him. Dawn smiled.

"Right then, off that topic. Who's hungry?" Spike said quickly, changing the subject and rubbing his hands together.

"Spike, you don't eat." Dawn pointed out.

"You've been shoving puppy chow down my face for the past three days, Bit. I could really go for a cheeseburger right now."

"Cheeseburger?" Buffy asked, arcing her eyebrows.

"What? M'not allowed to like food now? Hell, Slayer, I'd prefer a burger to blood anyday, but there's one problem."

"What's that?" Dawn asked curiously.

"It won't keep me alive." He replied knowingly. "Now get off your lazy arse and come on, I'm starving." He grabbed Dawn's coat off of the counter and tossed it to her as she stood. "You coming?"

Buffy shook her head. "Nah, I get enough burgers at work. I'll just meet you at home, okay Dawnie?"

Dawn nodded and looked at Anya. Of course the vengence demon wouldn't come, not after her little shindig with Spike, but she thought it better to be polite and ask. "How about you?"

"No thanks, I have to clean up here."

Spike shrugged and sauntered towards the door, Dawn close on his heels as she shrugged her jacket on.

"Spike?" 

"Yeah pet?" Spike asked, turning back to face Buffy.

"Keep an eye on her."

"Always do."

Buffy smiled and shook her head as the two left. Even after Spike's little escapade with Anya, she still trusted him. Well, with Dawn, at least. She didn't quite trust him as much as she had before, but she knew in her heart he would keep her safe.

----------

"You sure you don't want me to give it to her, she seemed pretty mad at you earlier." Dawn said, looking skeptically at Spike.

Chuckling, he pushed the door open. "I think I'll manage. 'sides, it's late, you have school tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess." She said, as she walked through the door. He followed behind her and closed it.

"I don't guess, I know." He stated. "Now get up there 'fore I make you."

"And how do you plan on doing that? You can't hurt me, remember?"

"I could sing."

"But you sing good." She said, her face scrunching up at the unusual threat.

"You think so?" She nodded. "Hmm, well, I guess I'd have to go with tickling you then, won't I?"

"Going." Dawn said as she turned and headed up the stairs, "Night Spike."

"Night Bit." Spike shook his head as the girl disappeared into her room.

"Sounds like she had fun." Buffy said from the couch as Spike walked into the livingroom.

"Yup. And unlike some people she doesn't pummel me when she's having a good time."

"I do not pummel you _all_ the time."

"Most of the time. Now here, eat." He directed as he sat down, handing her a bag fro the burger joint.

"I ate earlier." She lied.

"No you didn't. I was here, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Dog."

"Yeah, dog, now eat."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Fine." She shot, snatching the bag from his hand. "But don't think I'm gonna forgive you just because you brought me food." He raised his hands in mock defeat. She giggled. "I really hate you, you know that?"

----------

"Spike, this is stupid, let's just go." Buffy grabbed his arm and tried to drag him after her, but he shrugged out of her grasp. Sighing, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Slayer, were not leaving 'til we get what we came here for." Spike retorted, scanning the cages lining the corridor.

"Spike, let me ask you something." Buffy said, stepping up alongside him as he poked his finger in at one of the caged puppies. "If you had to be a dog again, would you want to be _Dawn's_ dog?"

His face fell and he pulled his fingers from the cage.

"That's what I thought, now come on, she doesn't need a dog." She said, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket once more.

"Maybe just a small dog. Or a lazy one, you know, one that sleeps a lot?" Spike suggested.

"No."

"Oh come on, Slayer, the girl wants a pet." He protested as she continued to lead him towards the door.

"Then we can stop at the pet store and get her a goldfish on the way home." Buffy replied.

Spike stopped. "A goldfish?"

Buffy turned to face him. "What's wrong with a goldfish?"

"Only one thing. It's a bloody goldfish."

Buffy made a face. "Okay, what about a cat? It's smaller and isn't as hard to take care of."

"Won't work."

"Why not?"

"'cause I might eat it." He said, grinning. A lady a bit further down the hall gave them a weird look before disappearing around the corner.

"Spike!" Buffy exclaimed, pulling him to the side.

"Calm down, I was kidding." He assured her, still grinning.

"Well it wasn't funny."

"Not to you."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Fine, we'll get her a cat then."

"Slayer! The girl doesn't want a bloody cat, she wants a dog."

"And how would you know?"

"I was a dog, remember? She wanted me. Plus whenever I had them poker kittens at my crypt she never asked to keep 'em."

Buffy scowled at him.

"Come on Slayer, I'll help her take care of it." He argued, trying to make her give in.

"How, you're never over."

"If you get her a dog then I'll have a reason to come over."

"And who says I want you over?" She questioned, smirking.

"Who said I was talking about you? Maybe I want to come over and see the Nibblet." He replied, grinning.

"Good, 'cause I don't want you over anyways." Buffy informed him.

"So we gonna get her a pup?" he asked, still smiling.

Buffy rolled her eyes and pushed him back towards the cages. "Fine, but nothing big, got it?"

----------

"Do we have to do this?" Spike whined, following Buffy through the glass door. 

"Yes." She stated.

"But Slayer, it's just plain cruel."

"No, letting the thing have puppies and not being ablt to take care of them would be cruel." She told him. She rolled her eyes at the vampire and handed him the dog's leash before she walked up to the desk.

"Sorry mate, I tried." Spike directed at the large black dog in front of him as he sat down on one of the chairs lining one wall of the vet office. The Labrador/Rottwieler cross just sat there, looking at him with big brown eyes. William. That's what Dawn had named him. Spike had made a few other suggestions – Manson, Clyde, Lector. Dawn had liked Manson until she found out he was referring to the killer, not the singer. The other two names had been inspired by the infamous 'Bonnie and Clyde' and Hannibal the Cannibal Lector. Not prime choices for puppy names. She had settled on William, reassuring Spike it was only because he was te coolest vampire she knew, not because he reminded her of the slobbering mutt.

"Okay, we're done." Buffy informed him as she walked back over to the vampire and her sister's pet. It had been four months since they had brought the thing home, and it was roughly six months old. It hadn't been all that big when they got it from the shelter, but Spike had reassured her it wouldn't get much bigger.

She still had to fight to avoid beating the crap out of him for lying to her.

William wasn't even full grown and he was already pushing 75 pounds. The dog wagged it's tail excitedly and she scratched it's head. She pulled the leash from Spike's hand and handed it over to the vet's assitant. The woman nodded.

"You can pick him up in the morning."

Buffy smiled "Come on."

Spike stood to follow her and offered the pooch a sympathetic glance. "Poor mutt, the bugger doesn't even know that they're gonna chop his…." Buffy covered his mouth with her hand and motioned to a little girl on the other side of the room. She held a small kitten in her lap and her mother was busy reading a magazine next to her.

"Spike, stop. You're more worried about this than the dog." 

"You look at things a bit differently when you've had people planning to do **that** to you. Then again, maybe I'd be better off staying at the vet's with the pooch…"

Buffy sighed as they began to walk down the sidewalk. The sun had set barely an hour ago and darkness had settled on the streets. "You know I wouldn't do that to you."

"Is that so?"

"I'm not that cruel."

He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

"Okay, so maybe I am. But if I did **that** then you wouldn't be of any use to me, would you?"

Once again, he didn't speak, he just knitted his brows together and smirked.

She punched him in the arm.

"You're no fun when you don't fight back."

"Bugger, you didn't need t'hit me." He whined playfully, rubbing his arm.

"Baby."

"Wentch."

"Whiner."

"Bitch."

Buffy stopped. Spike stopped. Buffy narrowed her eyes at him and smirked evilly. "I don't need to have you neutered, vamp boy." She walked towards him, backing him into a wall as he continued to grin. She poked him in the head with her finger. "You're already neutered."

"Low blow, Slayer." He said, grinning devilishly. He was backed completely against the side of a building now, Buffy mere inches in front of him. "Always going for weak spots." His grin faded and he smiled sincerely, brushing a stray piece of hair from her face. "Just another reason why I love you."

"You still love me?" she asked softly.

His face fell. "Course I do, luv. You know that."

"Yeah, I guess… it's just, after everything I said to you. Everything I **did** to you. After Anya…" she mumbled, looking down.

"Slayer….Buffy,I love you. I love you so much it hurts." He smiled slightly and ran his hands down her arms. "I'll always love you, no matter what happens, no matter what you do, no matter what **I** do, you got that?" She nodded slightly. "Come 'ere, pet." He said gently, smiling at the girl. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. She reluctantly returned the hug. The two stood there for a moment, not moving.

Then Buffy started to giggle.

"You mind tellin' me what's so funny?" Spike asked, pulling away from her and giving her a coy smile.

"You called me 'pet'."

"Yeah, I call you that a lot." He said, not understanding the humor in the word.

"Nothing." She said, still smiling as she shook her head and began to walk once more. "It's just kind of ironic, that's all."

"Ironic?" he questioned, walking along side her. He gave her a skeptical look and pulled

a cigarette and his lighter from his pocket. He lit it and returned the lighter to his pocket.

"It is, considering you were my dog a few months ago." She stated.

"No, I was Dawn's dog. You wanted to get rid of me." He pointed out.

"Not anymore." He smirked as he turned to face her as they walked, blowing a thin trail of smoke from his mouth. She smiled and offered him her hand, "Come on, let's go home."

He took it gratefully and smiled. "…..I still don't think we should have the dog fixed…."


End file.
